WASHINGTON -- The jeers greeted the announcement of Bryce Harper's name during pregame introductions at Nationals Park on Thursday. And when he stepped to the plate in the top of the first inning. Again in the fourth.
And, once more, when it was his turn to bat in the seventh, with his current team, the Philadelphia Phillies, trailing his first club in the majors, the Washington Nationals, by a 1-0 score on opening day. As Harper does so well, and so often, he lived up to the moment, hammering a first-pitch fastball to the deepest part of the stadium, getting Philadelphia's offense going in what became a 7-3 victory over Washington in 10 innings.